Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans with Sausage Recipes to #StartYourGrill

I’m a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community, and I created this recipe post as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. I was compensated, but all thoughts and opinions stated here are my own. It’s time to #StartYourGrill so you can grill up some delicious sausage recipes and make my Slow Cooker BBQ Baked Beans to go with them!

You’ll probably want to pull out your best grilling recipes after you read this post. Trust me on this, gang, there’s not much better than a great day on the grill, and I’ve got the perfect side dish for whatever you’re planning to cook up out there. Just take a look at these slow cooker BBQ baked beans, and try not to drool on your keyboard. It’s a messy clean up job.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it here on the blog, but I lived in the northwest suburbs of Chicago for about 8 years. During my time there, I fell in lusty love with Chicago style hot dogs. When served with the authentic toppings of yellow mustard, diced onion, sweet pickle relish, tomato slices, a dill pickle spear, sport peppers, AND the ever important sprinkle of celery salt, the masterpiece was known as being “dragged through the garden”. Never ever, under ANY circumstances, does a Chicago style hot dog have ketchup anywhere near it! For the tastiest results, it’s served up in a steamed poppy seed hot dog bun. Pure goodness! I don’t eat hot dogs too often any more, but I picked up some Hillshire Farm American Craft sausages during my shopping trip at Walmart last week, so I thought I’d try to dress one up Chicago style.

I looked for poppy seed hot dog buns, but couldn’t find any, so I bought some whole grain buns instead. The sausages are precooked, so a quick run over the hot grill was all I needed to do to prep them for dressing. Easy peasy! As delicious as my attempt was to recreate a masterpiece, Chicago style hot dogs are one messy business, and as it turns out, they aren’t very photogenic. I want to give you a glimpse anyhoo, though. I’m sure you’ll be inspired to make up a couple of your own, and hopefully, they’ll sit up prettier on your plate and smile for the camera! If you want a chance to “try before you buy”, there’s a live cooking demo taking place at select Walmart stores May 1st – 4th. Check with your store’s manager to see if your store is participating!

The sweet pickle relish is hiding underneath the tomatoes, but trust me, it’s there. I LOVE sweet pickle relish! Oh, and I couldn’t find sport peppers at the store, either. My poor gastric system is probably all the happier for that.

Here was my delicious ingredient lineup. Well, most of it. The diced onions and the celery salt are hiding. It’s really helpful to have all of your ingredients ready to go before you start piling them on. It makes eating happen more quickly that way, which is code for no more hungry, whiny family members. Peace and quiet for the win.

I’ve been aching to make a batch of slow cooker BBQ baked beans from scratch forever and a day, but for whatever reason, I just never took the time to do it until now. I’m super happy that I chose to make a slower cooker version. It allowed me to rest a bit more during the day, giving me more energy for the party on my plate later. These beans are the perfect partner for the American Craft sausages. Beans and sausage go together like bread and butter. The depth of flavor you get from the slow cooking is beyond phenomenal. Since I didn’t have a recipe of my own to use, I asked my friends on Facebook for links to theirs. I figured that they’d come through for me, and OH YES they did! My sweet food blogging friend, Mary, gave me 2 recipes of hers to look at, and I got a couple of other friend’s links to check out as well. I ended up adapting this recipe of Mary’s. I loved the flavors that she used and figured that it would be easy enough to adapt to the slow cooker, too. I was darn right, too. These slow cooker BBQ baked beans are the bomb dot com!
Who’d have thought that something so simple beforehand could be so incredibly yummi afterward? I was impressed! I hope you’ll give the recipe a try and let me know what you think of it!

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE GRILLING RECIPES? I’d love to have you share them with me!

Place dried beans onto a rimmed baking sheet. Sort through and discard any pebbles or broken beans. Place beans into a large pot and cover with at least 9 cups of water (more if your pot will allow it). Soak dried beans for 8 to 12 hours.

After soaking beans, drain water, rinse beans, and place them into a large (6 quart) slow cooker. Tuck the ham hock into the center of the beans, then add the onion and bacon.

Cook beans in the slow cooker on low power for 4 hours, then increase heat to high and cook for an additional 3 hours. Test beans for softness. If additional time is needed, cook on high until beans are completely softened, but not mushy.

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Comments

Baked beans are my favorite thing to make in the slow cooker. I love how versatile they are. Your recipe sounds delish..Ill be trying it this weekendCourtney M recently posted…Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf

I’ll be honest, Chef Bec. Even though I grew up in the South, baked beans were never my thing. They were at staple at picnics every summer, and I just couldn’t get behind them. Then one day it all changed…they say our taste buds change every 7 years…and mine definitely did. Now I can’t get enough of them! Your recipe looks absolutely delicious…I love the before/after pic, too. So fun! Thanks for sharing!

Oh my gosh…I never heard that our tastebuds change every 7 years! It makes perfect sense, because I just started loving some of the foods that I despised a few years ago, like beets and Brussels sprouts!
If they’re not cooked low and slow to develop flavor, I think baked beans can be completely boring. They also taste disgusting when they’re overcooked! There’s a fine line T o perfecting them, that’s for sure!

Just had to say I absolutely love your blog – your recipes always look divine and provide great inspiration for when I’m standing in front of the fridge, hungry, with no idea of what to cook! I truly look to you as an inspiration in the world of blogging! Keep up the amazing work! x

Oh, Sophie! Thank you so very much for your sweet comment. I’ve been feeling sort of down lately, wondering if there are really people out there who make and enjoy my recipes, and whether or not this job that I love so much is in fact the one I’m meant to be doing. It’s readers like you that keep my spirit so well fed that I simply MUST continue! May God bless you, Sophie <3

I firmly believe that if you are passionate about something and it makes you happy, then definitely persist! I have always wanted to write a blog, but kept convincing myself out of it, until very recently when I decided to take the plunge. Writing is my passion, and even if no one reads it, at least I know I am being true to myself and doing what makes me happy! Please keep going – if it weren’t for you I never would have found your quinoa chickpea patties!

I love baked beans. I start with a jar and “doctor them up” and slow cook them in the oven. I really need to try them from scratch.
I think it’s so great that we can put out a request on social media and get so many options in response.

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